Light emitting diode

ABSTRACT

A light-emitting diode with no fluctuations in optical properties and good sealing properties, and a simple production method for producing this light-emitting diode. The light-emitting diode has a base comprising a cup part on which the light-emitting diode is placed, a resin material introduced into cup part, and a lens member placed on top of a cup for focusing light emitted by a light-emitting diode chip. A layer of fluorescent material, which converts the wavelength of at least some of the light from the light-emitting diode chip, is applied to the inner convex face of the lens member. When the lens member is attached to the base, the inner convex face deforms the resin material and air and excess resin material can be pushed to the outside.

This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/267,157 filed on Oct. 9, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,850,001 stillpending.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention pertains to a light-emitting diode, which is alight-emitting diode device comprising a light-emitting diode chip,particularly with which at least part of the light is converted inwavelength by a fluorescent material, making it possible to produceemission in a color that is different from the emission color of thelight-emitting diode chip, for instance, white.

2. Description of the Related Art

A conventional example of a light-emitting diode of this type isdescribed, for instance, in Japanese Patent Publication No.8(1996)-320,656 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 11(1999)-251,640.According to the former document, the light-emitting diode device has aprinted wiring board and a mask plate made of rubber or resin on top ofthis, and part of this mask plate comprises a cup that reflects light.The light-emitting diode chip is mounted on the inside of this cup.Light-transmitting filler is introduced and hardened inside the cup.Moreover, a lens plate of a pre-determined shape for focusing the lightthat has been emitted by the light-emitting diode is joined to the topof the mask plate.

A problem with this type of light-emitting diode is that a clearance orgap can be formed when air makes its way in between the lens plate andthe filler and therefore, the luminous efficacy drops due to the effectof this air layer. It is all but impossible to eliminate the air layerwhen filler is introduced onto such a small surface area inside a cupand the lens plate is placed on top during the production process.

In order to eliminate this type of air layer, for instance, it ispossible to further apply another filler over the first filler and formthis into a lens shape. Nevertheless, as shown by the latter of theabove-mentioned Patent Publications, using this type of processcomplicates production process and increases the cost of the product.

Moreover, another problem exists relating to wavelength conversion bythe fluorescent material. According to the technique shown in theabove-mentioned latter Patent Publication, a structure is used withwhich the emission from the light-emitting diode chip can be convertedin wavelength. By means of the structure described in this patent, theresin material placed around the light-emitting diode chip contains afluorescent material and this displays a color other than the originalemission of the light-emitting diode chip when the emission from thelight-emitting diode is converted in wavelength.

Nevertheless, this structure can produce irregularities in the lightthat is radiated to the outside due to the effect of differences inoptical light paths emitted in each direction from the light-emittingdiode chip, or a difference in the distribution of the fluorescentmaterial. Moreover, fluctuations in the emission color between productsare relatively large and there are cases in which these causeinconveniences, depending on the purpose for which the product is used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Consequently, the present invention presents a light-emitting diodehaving a relatively simple structure but with which optical properties(uniformity of color, flux distribution properties) are good, there areno fluctuations in emission color between products, and efficientemission performance is obtained, as well as a method for producing thislight-emitting diode. Yet another object of the present invention is topresent a high-performance light-emitting diode as previously describedby a relatively simple and inexpensive production process.

The light-emitting diode of the present invention has a light-emittingdiode chip, a base that holds this chip and a lens for focusing theemission from the light-emitting diode chip. The base has a wiringpattern for electrically connecting the light-emitting diode. The wiringpattern is formed by a method such as printing, etc., along the surfaceof this base and an electrical path is formed between the light-emittingdiode chip and outside devices. This base is a single component and hasa cup part that is concave in shape. The wiring pattern extends toinside the cup part and the light-emitting diode chip is mounted insidethe cup part.

The lens member has an inner convex face at almost the center on theside facing the base, a cup engagement face formed along the peripheryof this inner convex face, and a shoulder for engaging with this base.When the lens member is placed on top of this base, the cup engagementface and the cup part engage and the inner convex face is aligned at theproper position on the base.

A fluorescent material is applied to the surface of the convex innerface. Various printing or application methods used in the past can beemployed for this application. By means of these methods, the thicknessand the amount of the fluorescent material layer can be controlled andtherefore, stable emission performance of the assembled light-emittingdiode can be guaranteed.

Resin material is introduced inside the cup part prior to the process,whereby the lens member is attached to this base. Only a pre-determinedamount of resin material is introduced into the cup, but there can besome variation in the amount that is introduced between products,particularly when multiple products are being produced. Then, when thelens member is attached, the inner convex face comes into contact withthe resin material, pushing this resin material, and as a result, theresin material is deformed and part of it is moved. The lens member hasa groove extending from the position of the inner convex face toward theouter rim and when the lens member engages with the cup part, some ofthe resin material is pushed to the convex inner face and moves so thatit makes its way into this groove. Thus, the clearance into which airmakes its way is not made between the convex inner face and the resinmaterial and consequently, light from the light-emitting diode is notreflected at the interface between the convex inner face and resinmaterial and luminous efficacy is improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a first preferred embodiment of the light-emitting diode ofthe present invention where FIG. 1( a) is a cross section of theassembled state, and FIG. 1( b) is a cross section showing the statesometime during the assembly process;

FIG. 2( a) is a cross section of the lens member at a position alongline A—A in FIG. 2( b), and FIG. 2( b) is a bottom view of the lensmember of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 shows a second preferred embodiment of the light-emitting diodeof the present invention where FIG. 3( a) is a cross section of theassembled state, and FIG. 3( b) is a cross section showing the statesometime during the assembly process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Light-emitting diodes and methods for their production that arepreferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described indetail while referring to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 is across-section describing the light-emitting diode that is the firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention, with (a) showing thestate when assembly is completed and (b) showing this state beforeassembly. FIG. 2 is a Fig. showing the structure of the lens member usedin the light-emitting diode that is the first preferred embodiment. (a)is a bottom view and (b) is a cross-section along line A—A in (a).

Light-emitting diode 10, which is the first preferred embodiment, haslight-emitting diode chip 50, base 30 that holds this chip, and lensmember 20 set up on base 30 base 30 comprises cup part 31 with a concavestructure, and light-emitting diode chip 50 is held and mounted insidethis cup. Base 30 is worked into a pre-determined shape by grinding aceramic material or molding a plastic, etc. Wirings 41 and 42 are formedon the surface of base 30 by conventional methods. One end of bothwirings 41 and 42 extends to inside cup part 31 and chip connectingparts 45 and 46 for electrical connection to light-emitting diode chip50 are made in this cup part. For instance, base 30 can be made byworking a glass-epoxide base into a cup shape and forming wiring on thisbase using copper foil. Moreover in a different case, it is possible tomold plastic or ceramic into a cup shape to make base 30 and form theelectrical wiring on the surface of this base by an MID (MoldedInterconnect Device) means.

Furthermore, by means of another embodiment that is not illustrated,base 30 can also be formed with the majority of this base as a metalblock. In this case, an insulating layer for electrically insulating themetal block and the wiring is made where needed by coating with resin,affixing insulating film, mechanical assembly with insulation parts,etc., in order to produce the electrical wiring for actuatinglight-emitting diode chip 50. That is, wiring can be formed on theseinsulation layers. When the majority of base 30 is made from metal, theheat that is generated when light-emitting diode chip 50 is actuated canefficiently escape to other devices or other parts on which thelight-emitting diode is mounted and stability of operation of thelight-emitting diode can be guaranteed.

Wirings 41 and 42 extend from chip connection parts 45 and 46 along theinner surface of cup part 31 on which light-emitting diode chip 50 ismounted and further extend through the side surface to bottom face 32 ofbase 30. Mounting parts 43 and 44 for mounting the light-emitting diodeon another circuit base (not illustrated) are placed on base face 32.That is, light-emitting diode chip 50 mounted inside cup part 31 isconnected to another circuit base by wirings 41 and 42. Furthermore,light-emitting diode chip 50 can be mounted inside cup part 31 by amethod such as by wirebonding, or “flip-chip” or “flop-chip” mounting,etc.

As illustrated, lens member 20 is placed on base 30. Lens member 20 hasouter convex part 24 and inner convex part 25. The curvature of surface(outer convex surface) 22 of outer convex part 24 and surface (innerconvex surface) 23 of inner convex part 25 is designed so that thenecessary convergence of light is obtained at the light-emitting diode.Outer convex part 24 is formed to a larger diameter than inner convexpart 25 and shoulder 21 is thereby demarcated along the outer periphery.As shown in the Fig., when lens member 20 is attached to base 30,surface 23 of the inner convex part 25 is placed adjacent tolight-emitting diode chip 50.

Fluorescent material 60 is coated onto surface 23 of the inner convexpart 25 of lens member 20. Consequently, when light-emitting diode chip50 is actuated, the light that has been emitted is reflected up at cuppart 31 and at least some of this light is converted in wavelength asoutgoing light by fluorescent material 60. Resin material or chipcoating material 70 is filled inside the space made by surface 23 andcup part 31. Resin material 70 has the effect of adhering and anchoringlens member 20 and eliminating the air layer and preventingdeterioration of light-emitting diode chip 50. A transparent materialthat absorbs little of the emitted light is selected for resin material70. When necessary, a diffusing substance that diffuses light from thelight-emitting diode chip is mixed with resin material 70. Moreover,luminous efficacy from the chip can be increased by using a materialwith a high index of refraction as fluorescent material 70, and astructure wherein no stress is applied to the mounted chip or the wiresfor bonding connection can be produced by selecting a material havingsufficient elasticity when it hardens, etc.

Next, the method of producing light-emitting diode 10 will be explainedwhile describing the shape of lens member 20. A base view of lens member20 is shown in FIG. 2( b) and the cross-section of the position alongthe A—A line in (b) is shown in FIG. 2( a).

This general shape of lens member 20 is as previously described andoverall it is the shape of a mushroom. It is usually made from atransparent resin, but it can also be formed from another material suchas glass, etc. Inclined face 28 is provided between shoulder 21 andsurface 23. Part of inner convex part 25 near inclined face 28 is acircular truncated cone shape that is almost complementary to concavecup shape 31, and surface 23 comprises a dome-shaped part so that itoverlaps this circular truncated cone. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2,lens member 20 has a pair of grooves 26 in opposing positions. Grooves26 extend from the position of surface 23 of inner convex part 25 to theposition of shoulder 21 and reach up to the position of surface 22 ofouter convex part 24.

As described above, fluorescent material 60 for color conversion ispositioned at surface 23 of les member 20. According to the presentembodiment, a ceramic material such as YAG:Ce, etc., or other organicfluorescent materials can be used as the fluorescent material for whiteemission by using the light-emitting diode.

As shown in FIG. 1( b), light-emitting diode chip 50 is mounted insidebase 30 before assembling lens member 20 on base 30. As shown in FIG. 1(b), light-emitting diode chip 50 is mounted at the base of cup part 31and resin material 70 is introduced from above this chip. Resin material70 has sufficient fluidity. The surface of the resin material beforesetting up lens member 20 is represented by reference 71. Resin material70 is introduced at a relatively large volume and the excess portion isremoved during the process of setting up lens member 21. This will bediscussed below.

The setting up of lens member 20 will be explained as the transitionfrom FIG. 1( b) to (a). That is, when lens member 20 is combined withbase 30 onto which resin material 70 has been introduced, inner convexpart 25 makes its way into cup part 31. As is clear from FIG. 1( a),lens member 20 is placed at a position where shoulder 21 almost touchestop face 33 of base 30 (or wiring 41 formed on top of this top face), orat a position where inclined face 27 almost touches the inner surface ofcup part 31. However, inner convex part 25 projects by a sufficientamount from the position of shoulder 21 and therefore, surface 23 ontowhich fluorescent material 60 has been applied first comes into contactwith resin material 70 during the course of setting up lens member 20.

When lens member 20 further pushes down toward base 30 from thisposition, surface 23 pushes and deforms resin material 70. Resinmaterial 70 has sufficient fluidity and therefore when lens member 20pushes up, resin material 70 flows into groove 26 formed in lens member20. As previously mentioned, groove 26 reaches up to the side endposition of surface 22 along the side rim of lens member 20 andtherefore, resin material 70 that has been pushed out by movement oflens member 20 can be moved toward the outside through groove 26. Itshould be notable that, in this case, surface 23 of lens member 20gradually approaches resin material 70 from its central position. On theother hand, while groove 26 is provided at the side end of lens member20. Therefore, air that was present inside cup part 31 before lensmember 20 was set up can be released to the outside through groove 26together with excess resin material. As a result, resin material 70adheres closely to layer 60 of fluorescent material that has beenapplied to surface 23 of lens member 20 (referred to surface 72 of resinmaterial 70 represented by the broken line with reference 72 in FIG. 1(a) and (b)), so that it is possible to eliminate the clearance where airmakes its way into the space demarcated by the layer of fluorescentmaterial 60 and cup part 31. Consequently, it is possible to obtain goodsealing properties.

The first advantage of this structure is that the position of thefluorescent material can be precisely determined and the amount can alsobe controlled and as a result, it is possible to reliably control theoptical properties of the light-emitting diode and guarantee goodoptical properties of the light-emitting diode. For instance, whiteemission is obtained by applying to the bottom of the lens a fluorescentmaterial that emits yellow to the light of the light-emitting diode chipwhen the light-emitting diode chip is a blue-emitting diode, but in thepast, the fluorescent material has been placed in a variety ofpositions, such as over the entire inside of the cup, all or part of themolding resin, inside the chip coating layer, the outer layer of themolding resin, etc. with this type of light-emitting diode. According tothe present invention, as much fluorescent material 60 as needed can beplaced in the desired shape at the bottom of lens member 20 andfluorescent material can also be precisely placed at the appropriateposition close to the chip. Thus, the light directly from the chip andthe light reflected by the cup can be uniform light with no colorirregularities. This is particularly effective in the use of whiteemission for lighting, etc. Moreover, the difference between products isalso small and a high product property standard can be guaranteed, evenwith mass production.

A second advantage is that because the conventional sealing with moldingresin is not necessary with the method for producing a light-emittingdiode of the present invention, time-consuming processes that usehigh-temperature ovens are not necessary and the production process canbe simplified. That is, it is possible to simplify the productionprocess and to present a product of improved balanced performance, whichis very effective for the mass production of light-emitting diodes.Moreover, it is possible to simultaneously produce a large number ofproducts by the production method of the present invention where a largebase in which many cup parts have been formed and lenses that have beenmolded into a plate shape are combined and then divided into units. Inparticular, it should be noted that even when many products are to beproduced, the lens is precisely positioned with respect to the base andhigh-performance products can be guaranteed.

FIG. 3 shows the light-emitting diode that is the second preferredembodiment of the present invention. Cross sections similar to FIGS. 1(a) and (b) are shown in (a) and (b), respectively. Each element formingthe basic structure of the present invention in light-emitting diode 110of the second embodiment is the same as light-emitting diode 10 of thefirst embodiment and therefore, they are shown by adding 100 to thereference numerals and therefore, a description of their effect andresult is omitted.

The difference between light-emitting diode 110 of the presentembodiment and light-emitting diode 10 of the first embodiment is thestructure of base 131 and the use of leads 191 and 192. This differenceis due to the fact that light-emitting diode 10 of the first embodimentis surface mounted to another device that is not illustrated andlight-emitting diode 110 of the second embodiment is mounted usingthrougholes in a circuit board, etc.

Light-emitting diode 110 has base 130 for holding light-emitting diodechip 150 and lens member 20 that is set up on the base 130. Productionof base 130, mounting of light-emitting diode chip 150 on base 130,application of fluorescent material 160 to lens member 120, and settingup of lens member 120 on base 130 are performed in the same order as inthe first embodiment. By means of the second embodiment, lens member 120is set up on base 130 so that it pushes resin material 170 and anassembly of a light-emitting diode having good sealing performance isthereby produced.

Leads 191 and 192 can be set up after the process of assembly of base130 and lens member 120, or during the process where base 130 isproduced, but the former procedure is more preferable when totalproduction process is considered. This is because by means of the formermethod, for instance, many light-emitting diodes can be assembled atonce as previously mentioned, and because operating tests can beperformed before attaching leads 191 and 192 to base 130 afterlight-emitting diode chip 150 has been mounted onto base 130.

The light-emitting diodes that are the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention have been described in detail above, but they aresimply examples. The present invention is not restricted to theseexamples and various changes and modifications by persons of skilled inthe art are possible.

When the present invention is described in accordance with theabove-mentioned preferred embodiments, the present invention presentslight-emitting diodes 10 and 110, characterized in that inlight-emitting diode devices 10 and 110 which have light-emitting diodechips 50 and 150, bases 30 and 130 comprising cup parts 31 and 131 inwhich above-mentioned light-emitting diode chips 50 and 150 are placed,resin materials 70 and 170 introduced inside above-mentioned cup parts31 and 131, and lens members 20 and 120 placed on top of above-mentionedcup parts 31 and 131 for focusing the emission from above-mentionedlight-emitting diode chips 50 and 150, and on part of which is appliedfluorescent materials 60 and 160, so that at least some of the emissionfrom light-emitting diode chips 50 and 150 is converted in wavelength byabove-mentioned fluorescent materials 60 and 160, above-mentioned lensmembers 20 and 120 project out toward above-mentioned light-emittingdiode chips 50 and 150 into above-mentioned cup parts 31 and 131 andhave inner convex faces 23 and 123 that adhere closely without anyclearance with above-mentioned resin material materials 70 and 170 atleast around above-mentioned light-emitting diode chips 50 and 150, andabove-mentioned fluorescent materials 60 and 160 are applied overabove-mentioned inner convex faces 23 and 123.

Preferably above-mentioned lens members 20 and 120 have shoulder parts21 and 121 for engaging with above-mentioned cup parts 31 and 131 alongthe outer rim.

Preferably, resin materials 70 and 170 are placed inside above-mentionedcup parts 31 and 131 and above-mentioned resin materials 70 and 170 areintroduced without any clearance in the space demarcated byabove-mentioned inner convex faces 23 and 123 or fluorescent materials60 and 160 applied to these inner convex faces and above-mentioned cupparts 31 and 131.

Preferably, above-mentioned lens members 20 and 120 have engagementfaces 28 and 128 that engage with part of the inner face ofabove-mentioned cup parts 31 and 131 between above-mentioned innerconvex faces 23 and 123 and above-mentioned shoulders 21 and 121.

Preferably, above-mentioned shoulder parts 21 and 121 of lens members 20and 120 have grooves 26 and 126 extending from a position onabove-mentioned inner convex faces 23 and 125 to the outer rim throughwhich some of above-mentioned resin materials 70 and 170 can pass whenabove-mentioned lens members 20 and 120 are engaged with above-mentionedbases 30 and 130.

Furthermore, the present invention presents a method of producing alight-emitting diode, characterized in that it comprises the processwhereby light-emitting diode chips 50 and 150 are mounted and placedinside cup parts 31 and 131 on bases 30 and 130, the process wherebylens members 20 and 120 having inner convex faces 23 and 123 and whichengage with above-mentioned bases 30 and 130 are formed, the processwhereby fluorescent materials 60 and 160 are applied overabove-mentioned inner convex faces 23 and 123, the process whereby resinmaterials 70 and 170 are introduced in above-mentioned cup parts 31 and131, and the process whereby above-mentioned lens members 20 and 120onto which the above-mentioned fluorescent materials have been appliedare set up on above-mentioned bases 30 and 130 and above-mentioned resinmaterials 70 and 170 are pushed by above-mentioned inner convex faces 23and 123 resulting in part of the above-mentioned resin material beingdeformed and moved.

Preferably, above-mentioned lens members 20 and 120 have engagementfaces 27 and 127 that engage with part of the inner face ofabove-mentioned cup parts 31 and 131 at a position along the rim of theouter end of above-mentioned inner convex faces 23 and 123 and whenabove-mentioned lens members 20 and 120 are set up, above-mentioned tlens members 20 and 120 are aligned as a result of engagement betweenabove-mentioned engagement faces 27 and 127 and above-mentioned cupparts 31 and 131.

Preferably, above-mentioned lens members 20 and 120 have grooves 26 and126 extending from a position on above-mentioned inner convex faces 23and 125 to the outer rim such that when above-mentioned lens members 20and 120 are set up on above-mentioned bases 30 and 130, some of theabove-mentioned resin materials 70 and 170 makes its way intoabove-mentioned grooves 26 and 126.

1. A light emitting diode, comprising: a light emitting diode chip; abase part with a cup part in which said light emitting diode chip isplaced and an upward facing surface located outside of said cup part; aresin material introduced inside said cup part; a lens member preformedand placed on top of said cup part for focusing an emission from saidlight-emitting diode chip, wherein said lens member has an inner surfaceprojecting into said cup part toward said light emitting diode chip atleast around a center of said inner surface, and wherein said lensmember and said upward facing surface define a space therebetweenthrough which at least some of said resin material can pass to an areaoutside of said light emitting diode when said lens member is engagedwith said base.
 2. The light-emitting diode in claim 1, wherein saidinner surface is a convex curved surface.
 3. The light-emitting diode inclaim 1, wherein said lens member has a shoulder that engages with anupper facing surface formed on said base.
 4. The light-emitting diode inclaim 3, wherein said shoulder is formed along an outer rim of said lensmember.
 5. The light-emitting diode in claim 1, wherein said definedspace is a channel.
 6. The light-emitting diode in claim 5, wherein saidchannel is formed along a side of said lens member.
 7. Thelight-emitting diode in claim 1, wherein a center bottom end of saidinner surface of said lens member is more distanced from a center topend of said lens member than a center top surface of said light-emittingdiode chip.
 8. The light emitting diode in claim 1, wherein said innersurface of said lens member has a larger curvature than an outer surfaceof said lens member.
 9. A light-emitting diode, comprising: alight-emitting diode chip; a base with a cup part having a slanted sidesurface in which said light-emitting diode chip is placed and an upwardfacing surface located outside of said cup part; a lens member preformedin a convex shape and located above said cup part for focusing anemission from said light-emitting diode chip, having a bottom-facingsurface projecting into said cup part toward said light emitting diodechip at least around a center thereof, and a shoulder formed along siderim thereof and engaged with said upward facing surface of said base,said upward facing surface including a first portion engaged with saidlens member to retain said lens member and a second portion distancedfrom said lens member; and a resin material located inside said cup partof said base, engaging said bottom-facing surface of said lens, whereina portion of said resin material is extendable from said resin materialinside of said cup and is disposable between said second portion of saidupward facing portion and said lens member at a position outside of saidcup where direct emission from said light emitting diode chip does notreach.
 10. The light-emitting diode in claim 9, wherein saidaccommodated portion of said resin material is located in a channel. 11.The light-emitting diode in claim 10, wherein said channel is locatedalong said bottom-facing surface of said lens member, extending throughthe position of said shoulder.
 12. The light-emitting diode in claim 9,wherein a center bottom end of said bottom-facing surface of said lensmember is more distanced from a center top end of said lens member thana center top surface of said light-emitting diode chip.
 13. Thelight-emitting diode of claim 9, wherein a portion of said resindisposed between said second portion of said upward facing portion andsaid lens member is exposed to the outer atmosphere while being blockedfrom said cup part by said lens member and said base.